Page 03

Ripley’s wants it!
By Fan Staff
Mother Teresa, a work by Fruitport artist Cindy A.
Craze, was one of 1,517 entries at this year’s ArtPrize, a
competition held annually in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
After starting the piece last winter, Craze worked
countless hours over a three-month period to complete it
before the April, 2012 registration deadline. No ordinary
portrait, it is made not with paint or pencils, but with
bread! Craze describes the creation process as a “slow
and precise one that included the testing of various materials to determine which would be feasible, as well as
hold meaning.” Items initially experimented with were
soap, cloth, and bread.
(616) 846-0338
Cindy Craze shows the portrait of Mother
Theresa which won acclaim at ArtPrize by Ripley’s
Believe It Or Not! (Photo by Mariann Cooper)
Bread was eventually chosen as the medium to
represent the humanitarian and her tireless mission of
feeding the minds, bodies and souls of India. Designing
the portrait to resemble an antiquated photo, a mixture
of dark and light breads were used to create the different
brown tones. Dehydrating the bread at various temperatures created the unique color variations present in the
white bread.
Craze’s choice of subjects was not random. Years ago,
after discovering she shared a birthday with Mother Teresa, she became curious about her, and began following
the events of her life. This devotion turned into a quest to
honor her compassionate spirit in a way that would be
forever memorable to those who viewed Craze’s depiction.
Over the course of the 19-day exhibition, which
ran from September 19 through October 7, Mother Teresa
attracted the attention of thousands of visitors, some of
whom Craze met. On two separate occasions, she had
the opportunity to greet those who came to see her work.
This, she said, was “a incredible, life-changing experience. Most patrons asked questions regarding how I
constructed the portrait. Some shared their experiences
of meeting Mother Teresa, and all appeared to be moved
in some personal way by my piece.” Because she could
not stay at the show full time, she thought of various
ways in which she could still interact with those who
stopped by when she was not there. So in order to “hear”
the opinions of those she was unable to talk with, she
decided to place a guestbook, complete with her email
address, next to her work, and encouraged visitors to not
only sign it, but also tell her their thoughts.
After the show was over, she sat down at home with
her guestbook, and quickly discovered it was filled front
to back with compliments and Mother Teresa quotes
penned by people from around the world. While reading the pages, absorbing the words of her well-wishers,
she came upon one comment that took her by surprise:
“Cindy–– Edward Meyer, international buyer for Ripley’s
Believe It Or Not! I think I have a home for Mother Teresa.”
Ironically, at first she did not believe it. She thought it was
no more than someone being jovial –– until she called
the number Meyer provided. Following a lengthy talk
with him, Craze arranged to sell her work to Ripley’s
for an undisclosed amount. Meyer also informed her
that during the show her work received much attention
from local news media (WZZM13.com), something else
she was not aware of due to her busy schedule.
Meyer, who makes an annual appearance at the
show, said he “arrived with a long list of must-sees
that quickly turned into a short list of must-haves” that
included Craze’s piece. While Ripley’s has 32 museums
around the world, at the time of acquisition, Meyer assured her that it will be permanently displayed in either
their Panama City or Key West museum.
This was the second year Craze, a 1987 graduate of Fruitport High School, participated in ArtPrize.
Originally a self-taught artist, she went on to receive her
formal art training at Muskegon Community College.
Additionally, she creates pieces for private clients, and
has shown and sold her works several times during the
Regionals held at the Muskegon Museum of Art.
Aside from working on next year’s ArtPrize entry,
Craze, a self-employed photographer who holds MBAs
in healthcare management and marketing, is also preparing to begin the second year of her doctoral program in
leadership.
We wish her well in whatever she chooses.•
Fruitport Area News • December 2012 • Page 3
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